Florida CAN Announces 2017 FAFSA Challenge Winners
Increase in FAFSAs completed translates to $37 million more in Pell grants for Florida students
TAMPA, Fla., April 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida College Access Network (Florida CAN) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2017 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the proportion of high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid!
Through March 31, 54 school districts and 390 high schools have increased the number of seniors who completed the federal financial aid form by at least 5% over last year, contributing to a statewide gain of 9.1%. This translates to over $37 million more in Pell grant dollars alone for graduating seniors to help pay the cost of college.
"The boost in Florida's FAFSA completions this year is phenomenal and a credit to the schools, districts, and community partners who have worked passionately to ensure all of our students have the resources to attend college," said Laurie Meggesin, Florida CAN's executive director. "This is a real game-changer for the thousands of students and families impacted by this collective effort."
Districts and schools in Miami-Dade, Orange, Broward, Sarasota, Gulf, and Okaloosa counties won top honors as the highest performers. Links to the Florida FAFSA Challenge Winners Circle and FAFSA completion data for all schools and districts — including all those that exceeded the 5% goal — are available on Florida CAN's blog.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is part of College Ready Florida, a suite of statewide initiatives designed to build a college-going culture and help all students — especially low-income students — continue their educations beyond high school.
Florida CAN applauds all schools and districts that committed to helping more graduating high school seniors access financial aid for college and congratulates those that boosted their FAFSA completion rates this year!
About Florida College Access Network
The mission of the Florida College Access Network is to create and strengthen a statewide network that catalyzes and supports communities to improve college and career preparation, access, and completion for all students. Our Big Goal is to increase the percentage of Florida residents who hold a high-quality postsecondary degree or credential to 60% by the year 2025. For more information, visit www.floridacollegeaccess.org.
Media Contact:
John Ceballos
(813) 974-8606
[email protected]
SOURCE Florida College Access Network
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